I may be joining the club

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08/27/2006, 08:48 PM
Corrosive

I may be joining the club

Well I found a VX for sale thats really close to me in 2 ways. First its close in location... only 20 minutes away. Seccondly its at a friends lot. My friend is a dealer and its on his lot, so it may be his that he picked up at auction. He has it listed for 8,900 which is great, but the milage is way high. Its a 99 with 125,xxx miles. I was wondering if this scares anyone. I may be able to get the price down, but as far as the milage... it kinda makes me weary.I have never owned an Isuzu, yet have had friends with them and they do tend to last. Another thing is that when the vehicross first came out... I was on the isuzu web site and requested a brochure and believe it or not, I still have the papers that I got in the mail. I have wanted one for some time now, but honestly have had a love for sports cars that led me to autox. Now that I drive more than an hour to school (one way), I need something with a bit more space and a bit nicer ride. I look forward to off roading in something thats not so genaric as everyones jeep wrangler. Basically I was wondering what were some things to look for on the VX that may be problem areas or any tell signs that this one is not for me (or on its last leg). Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys.
-Mike

Ps. Post 1 for me
08/27/2006, 09:03 PM
etlsport

if youre going to be making that long of a commute.. i dunno how well a vx is going to suit you, best highway mileage ive ever seen is 19 mpg.. and they do have some blind spots (you get used to them) other than that.. fantastic vehicle.. my girlfriend who HATES suvs loves driving it A. for the looks she gets and B. she says it drives like a sports car/doesnt feel like its huge (and its not)

if you use the search feature, you can find a lot of posts with people asking about problems with the VX such as windows, engines etc.. i dont think id be too worried about the mileage, the only engine troubles ive heard about on VXs/isuzus in general have happened early (like before 60k), some of the guys on this forum drive isuzus religiously, and have reported driving troopers over 200k (the vx shares an engine with them i beleive)

definately take it for a test drive to see how she suits you, thats all it took for me and i had to have it
08/27/2006, 09:28 PM
Corrosive

Thanks for the tips. Living in TX the gas prices arent too bad, and I have a motorcycle that I can take out to help cut back. Most things go wrong at 60 k and this has double that... so I guess I am either on the safe side or on the side of about to go... only the test drive will tell that. I think if I get the VX I may get a boat too... I noticed that there was a site that had a hitch attachment and wondered how well it worked? I should be going out on wed to check it out.. and cant wait.
Thanks,
-Mike
08/28/2006, 05:26 AM
tomdietrying

I wouldn't worry about 125 k miles on the VX if I was the one who put them on. Since you did not put the mileage on, I would be concerned on what kind of care was taken during that time. My 2 cents.
Peace.
Tom
08/28/2006, 07:11 AM
Tobert

My 99 Ebony has just over 100k on it and it's still running strong. The engine has had some work done, but the rest of the vehicle is solid and appears to be untampered with.

As long as the engine is strong and you keep up the maintenance, there's no reason to avoid a 125k vehicle.

Change _all_ the fluids right away, grease everything up, and just understand that >100k vehicles will need things fixed. You'll probably be looking at a new timing belt + water pump if it hasn't been done yet. Make sure to take it for a HARD drive and check for bearing problems. I hear oil analysis can detect bearing failure early, so maybe it'd be worth the $25 to have that done.

The philosophy I was taught was this:

As long as the repair bill is less than a car payment + full coverage on a brand-new car, you're still ahead. I never understood people who complained about putting $1000/year into a car then go out and buy a new car with >$3000/year in payments to get rid of that. Uhh ... guess it's nice to drive a new car. I wouldn't know. My VX is the newest I've ever owned.

Even if you have a payment on this truck, it + insurance is going to be much lower than it would be on a new car. Think how much money that is per-year and try to plan on investing that much into maintenance and you won't get caught off guard.
08/28/2006, 07:37 AM
Triathlete

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomdietrying

I wouldn't worry about 125 k for the VX if I was the one who put them on. Since you did not put the mileage on, I would be concerned on what kind of care was taken during that time. My 2 cents.
Peace.
Tom

I'd be worried if YOU put them miles on...I've seen you drive! :laughy: :laughb: :laugho:
08/28/2006, 10:55 AM
geshaw30

I'd go grab the VIN and run a CarFax just to make sure.....

Question- is it grey and have a brush guard on the front end? Reason I ask is there was one that was for sale a while back at a gas station by the intersection of Dairy Ashford and Richmond with that kind of mileage on it. If I remember correctly that particular ride had a salvage title on it. Never did find out where it went.

I may be up around Spring for the "Spring Tabernacle Car Show" in mid October. Some friend of mine spoke up for my VX to someone up there and was told I should make it an entry. Don't think I'm gonna do it but things change. Hope you find what you're looking for. Always good to have new Houston area owners.
________
ROLL BLUNTS
08/28/2006, 11:56 AM
Corrosive

Its silver with no brush gaurd... but I should do a carfax just to be safe. Does anyone have an active account. I konw I can get a free one, but if someone on here is somewhat of a dealer and wants to check it for me then it would save me the trouble. (pm me if you are). As far as your formula... I agree and come from the same thoughts. I figure if I get the price down then that saves me from what may go wrong. If I fix it, then I know it will last for quite some time... which is a good thing.
-Mike
08/28/2006, 07:01 PM
tbigity

i have a carfax account, just shoot me the vin
08/28/2006, 08:35 PM
Corrosive

Vin sent... Thanks
08/28/2006, 08:52 PM
tbigity

aint no thing, bro. Check the email.

ANyone know of an easier way to send CarFax info? I had to parse together 3 print screens and just email attachments of the JPGs. There's gotta be a better way out there!
08/28/2006, 09:08 PM
Corrosive

It worked just fine that way... sorry it was so tough.

I called my buddy at the dealership and they said I can have it for about 7500... so how does that sound to you guys.... To me it sounds like a steal!
08/28/2006, 09:17 PM
Anita

a gift would be to know the history of maintenance done on the truck. Certain parts of the VX are expensive to replace. Timing belt should have been replaced at 90 k (according to manufacturers suggestion) and that can be a bear to do, certainly expensive at a dealer. How are those windows and how smooth and quiet is that transmission.. you know the drill. Check everything possible. A VX that has been taken care of from the start can be a long time friend.
08/28/2006, 09:37 PM
Corrosive

I get to drive it on wed... so I will check all those things. Is there any ez way to see if the timing belt was changed out?
08/29/2006, 04:57 AM
VehiGAZ

Not that I know of, but I'm no expert on the matter.

$7500 for that sounds like a right price to me.
08/30/2006, 11:41 AM
Corrosive

Well I am part of the club now... I pick her up at 3:30. There will be quite a few pics to follow.
08/30/2006, 01:20 PM
transio

Quote:

Originally Posted by tbigity

aint no thing, bro. Check the email.

ANyone know of an easier way to send CarFax info? I had to parse together 3 print screens and just email attachments of the JPGs. There's gotta be a better way out there!

Save the file as an html page, or get a PDF "distiller" and print it as a PDF.
08/30/2006, 05:55 PM
tbigity

:_brickwal :_brickwal

PDF! Duh! Thanks

*slap self*
08/31/2006, 09:03 AM
Maugan_VX

welcome to the club Corrosive!

Hows the honeymoon going? :P